Self-Explanation Strategies enhance the inhibition of intuitive misconception: Insights from ERP

Abstract

To investigate the persistence of deeply entrenched intuitive misconceptions in science learning, this study examined the effectiveness and neural underpinnings of the self-explanation strategy (SES) in correcting the misconception that “ionic compounds consist exclusively of metal cations and nonmetal anions.” Participants were required to judge whether compounds qualified as ionic. By comparing behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data between the Traditional Instruction Group (TIG) and the Self-explanation Strategy Group (SSG) when processing intuition-consistent (C) and intuition-inconsistent (IC) ionic compound stimuli, we found that C stimuli elicited larger P2 amplitudes, while IC stimuli evoked stronger N2 and LPP components. In contrast, the SSG exhibited reduced P2 amplitudes and enhanced N2 amplitudes under C conditions. These results indicate that persistent misconceptions require inhibitory control, and that self-explanation weakens early intuitive activation while enhancing conflict monitoring to promote inhibition.